The past two weekends have been rough for ASU baseball. After starting 20-9 heading into a key series against No. 24 Arizona, the Sun Devils have since dropped series to both Arizona and Cincinnati, along with a midweek loss to Purdue, going 5-6 since early April. One of those wins came in Thursday’s opener against Texas Tech, a team struggling to find many wins. The Red Raiders offered a chance for ASU to get back on track, especially with the Big 12 packed with strong opponents and few easy series.
However, that opportunity stalled on Friday due to an unusual Phoenix rainstorm. In a back-and-forth game where field conditions played a role in a Texas Tech rally, ASU had the bases loaded with two outs and a chance to take the lead—only for the game to be postponed due to weather.
An anticlimactic way to conclude the night, but the game would resume early Saturday to set up a double header, with sophomore infielder Kyle Walker hitting in the same exact spot with the bases loaded. A high-pressure way to begin the day, but Texas Tech would walk that run home, followed by another as ASU scored its first victory but failed to carry that momentum into the second game, going flat offensively. The Sun Devils (25-15, 11-7 Big 12) won the series, but not the sweep, as they secured the first game 9-8 but lost the second to Texas Tech (12-23, 8-10) by a score of 12-8.
Saturday was undoubtedly an unusual day; rarely is your first at bat of the day the most significant. Head coach Willie Bloomquist said Walker couldn't sleep last night worrying about his at bat, and it was such an unusual incident that Bloomquist, a former player and now head coach, couldn't offer him any guidance other than “Go be Kyle Walker, and that’s good enough.”
Walker did come through, walking to give ASU the lead, and freshman outfielder Landon Hairston also worked a walk, allowing ASU to win the first game against Texas Tech.
If you only watched Saturday’s games, it looked simple—but ASU had to grind out an entire game, which began on Friday. Senior right-hander Jack Martinez took the mound, the Big 12 strikeout leader, and added seven more in his start.
He cruised early but gave up six hits, three extra-base hits, and three walks in a shaky second half, as Martinez has a history of balancing dominance and vulnerability, making games feel closer than they should at times. Ultimately, Texas Tech was held to four runs, three of which were earned.
The Sun Devil run support was able to back up Martinez's outstanding performance, with Hairston's three-run home run being the highlight of the night. It was only his second of the season, but it's evident that the first-year outfielder's power is growing, with seven of his eight extra-base hits coming in his previous eight games.
A quick shift must suggest something changed for Hairston, although according to Hairston, the mechanics are the same, but the equipment is not.
“I started using a different bat,” Hairston mentioned. “Apart from that, no, I haven't changed anything in my swing. Started swinging a heavier bat, a little more unloaded. Maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe it doesn't. But once I started picking up that bat, then power numbers kind of came, but as an approach, just trying to stick to the middle of the field and have good at-bats every time I went up there and put the ball in play hard.”
As long as he's hitting at his current pace, Hairston will probably continue to use whatever bat he’s using. It's unlikely that he'll convert half of his hits into extra bases, as he did this weekend, but Hairston as a more consistent power threat makes him an extremely dangerous hitter given his already impressive batting average.
The chaos of Friday’s game didn’t stop with Jack Martinez slipping on the mound—it quickly became clear the weather would be a constant factor. In the seventh, a throwing error by sophomore infielder Nu'u Contrades led to a three-RBI double that gave Texas Tech the lead.
Then in the bottom half, with the bases loaded and ASU down one, junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson hit a grounder to third where Garet Boehm slipped on the wet dirt, allowing everyone to reach safely. That was the final straw before umpires postponed the game to Saturday.
The game continued at noon the next day, Walker batted again, senior left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon closed it out, and the rest is history. That would lead directly into the second game, a strange transition for everyone involved, attempting to rebuild those same emotions you had last night for just two innings, then refocus on a brand new game 45 minutes later. Bloomquist stated postgame that this could explain why they came out flat after the early win.
“I think that emotional high probably hurt us going into the next game,” Bloomquist stated. “We kind of let our foot off the gas. That's not the right word, but it was an emotional night last night, and coming out on top today was great. But like I said, I was hoping we would carry that momentum in game two, and we didn't perform the way we're supposed to.”
After a two-run first inning, ASU’s offense stalled, going six scoreless frames and looking nothing like the team from the night before. Quick, 1-2-3 innings made it easy for Texas Tech’s junior right-hander Zane Petty, who tossed eight innings, giving up just six hits and three earned runs.
Coach Bloomquist was more frustrated with his team’s approach than impressed by Petty’s outing. He said they started strong but “continued to chase the cutter, slider just below the zone,” losing the discipline they had early on.
In game two, sophomore Jaden Alba took the mound but struggled early, giving up six earned runs over three innings. He had only allowed one home run all season, but Texas Tech tagged him for three, setting the tone for a power-heavy night as the Red Raiders finished with six homers and 12 total runs.
One of the turning points came in the third inning. With two outs and a chance to escape the jam, junior infielder Matt King dropped a routine play that would’ve ended the frame. Instead, the next batter launched a three-run homer—capping off another frustrating sequence in what ended up being a tough two-day defensive stretch for ASU.
“We know when the ball's carried here, we cannot give teams extra outs,” Bloomquist said. “I don't care who we are. It came back to bite us today a couple of times and plays that were makeable. I think they went down as hits, but I think we all know that they should have been made. I think it could have come back to bite us. I think in the third inning we gave up a three-run homer right after that…We need to make plays when the opportunity presents itself.”
It was certainly not a good way to end the day, given how it began and how the remainder of the weekend was shaping up, with a potential sweep on the way.
As it stands, ASU is within two conference victories of five different Big 12 teams, so as the Sun Devils reach the second half of the season, each of these games is crucial. A series win is always a plus, but a sweep today could have been the one game that elevates them above Arizona or Kansas down the road.
BYU is next on the conference schedule; ASU departed Salt Lake City with a series sweep the last time they visited Utah, and they expect to accomplish the same in Provo if they can bring the same bats, rather than the ones from today.
“I think as an offense, we could have done a lot better than that,” Hairston claimed. “Baseball has those days where offense just doesn't click. And I think that was one of those days. I don't think he was too overpowering for us. Just some days you have it. Some days you don't. That's baseball.”
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